Windy City Pie’s location leaves a lot to be desired. You have to roll up to an eerily quiet covered parking area with a lot of concrete and columns, and from the looks of it, you might as well be entering a medical office park. But as soon as you walk inside, it’s like stepping into a dimly-lit speakeasy pizza society.

Which is pretty similar to how Windy City Pie came to be. It started out as an undercover “catering business” operation that required you place an order remotely, drive to some random SoDo location, text the owner when you arrived, and meet him on a street corner to exchange your cold hard cash for hot soft pizza. Now that WCP has a real brick and mortar location, you’re still driving to an under-the-radar spot, but this time there are appetizers, and you don’t feel like you’re doing something illegal.

Suzi Pratt

Windy City Pie has a cool clubhouse vibe, a full bar with reasonable prices, and the best Chicago-style deep dish pizza in Seattle. We would tell you which combination of pizza toppings to get, but as long as you order one pie per four people and involve the candied bacon in some way, you’re in good hands. On a recent visit here, we tried to get brussels sprouts on our red pie, and were forbidden from doing so by four different people, who promised it wouldn’t taste good. The staff members know their sh*t - but are also extremely friendly, as though the mayor has somehow certified Windy City Pie a Seattle-Freeze-Free zone.

Make sure you have 30-40 minutes to wait for your pizza to cook, and don’t skip the side salad (with candied pecans, goat cheese, pickled onion, and red pepper dressing) and garlic brioche while you wait. Unlike a medical office park, you won’t leave with hunger, a frown, or a decade-old issue of Highlights magazine smuggled under your shirt.

Food Rundown

Garlic Brioche

We understand that it’s inadvisable to voluntarily eat bread before deep dish pizza, but when it’s brioche with pecorino romano and roasted garlic butter, it’s the correct move. A must-order.

Side Salad

Since the pizza takes so long to cook, this salad is what you should split with your friends in the meantime. Surprisingly delicious for only six bucks - it has baby spinach, pickled red onion, chèvre, candied pecans, and a roasted red bell pepper vinaigrette.